Generating a score for a coupon campaign

ABSTRACT

Techniques are provided for generating, by a coupon distributor, a score that represents a quality of a coupon campaign that a coupon provider offers to the coupon distributor. The score may be generated based on the brand of the product, the product category to which the product belongs, the coupon value, and the percentage discount reflected by the coupon. One or more of these factors may be based on historical data that indicates the success (or failure) of previous coupon campaigns (e.g., of the same product, brand, and/or product category, and/or similar coupon value). The coupon distributor uses the score to, e.g., determine whether to accept a proposed coupon campaign, project the number of prints/redemptions of the coupon campaign, determine how to present the coupon, determine an amount to charge for running the coupon campaign, and/or determine products or product categories of coupons to which the coupon distributor should seek.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/345,551, filed Jan. 6, 2012, the entire contents of which is herebyincorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.The applicants hereby rescind any disclaimer of claim scope in theparent applications or the prosecution history thereof and advise theUSPTO that the claims in this application may be broader than any claimin the parent application.

This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/277,152 filed on Oct. 19, 2011, entitled “Determining A Value For ACoupon”; the entire contents of which is incorporated by this referencefor all purposes as if fully disclosed herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments relate generally to determining, on behalf of a couponprovider and based on multiple factors, a value for a coupon.

BACKGROUND

The approaches described in this section are approaches that could bepursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previouslyconceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it shouldnot be assumed that any of the approaches described in this sectionqualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in thissection.

In general, a coupon is a certificate or other document that entitlesits holder to accept an offer described or referenced by the coupon. Theoffer, also subsequently referred to as the “coupon offer,” may be anytype of offer, but typically is an offer by the coupon provider toprovide a customer with one or more goods or services at a particularprice or discount. For example, a coupon might indicate $1 off or 25%off of the purchase price or might indicate a particular price, such as$10. Alternatively, the coupon offer may be an offer to provide thecustomer with a gift in exchange for the performance of an act, such aspurchasing a good or service.

A coupon often takes a “hard copy” form, such as a paper certificate,with printed images and/or text describing terms of the offer.“Redeeming” a coupon is the process of a customer accepting a couponoffer by presenting, referencing, or otherwise providing the couponwhile purchasing, contracting, or otherwise transacting with anotherparty. For example, a customer may redeem a hard copy of a coupon byhanding the copy to a clerk during a purchase at a retail store. Theclerk may then provide the customer with the offered discounted price orgift.

One technique for distributing coupons is to include printed couponswith newspapers, magazines, or other items that are distributed tocustomers. One example of an item with which coupons are distributed isa printed receipt. For example, some retailers print receipts at a pointof sale on register paper on which coupons have been pre-printed. Asanother example, some retailers print coupon(s) on a receipt at the timeof the transaction for which the receipt is printed, thereby allowingthe retailers to dynamically select which coupon(s) appear on thereceipt based on the product(s) that were purchased during thetransaction.

Recent distribution techniques now provide customers with opportunitiesto print their own coupons. For example, a number of websites providesearch engines or catalogs with which customers may locate offers andthen print coupons for the offers they find. The printed coupons may beused in the same manner as any other coupon.

Other recent distribution techniques involve creating digital coupons.One such technique involves creating unique digital coupons that aresaved to an account associated with the customer, such as a storeloyalty account. The customer may redeem such digital coupons duringonline or physical transactions by presenting an account identifier,such as a store loyalty card or an oral identification of the customer'stelephone number, for the associated account.

Another digital coupon-based technique involves creating unique digitalcoupons that may be stored on a computing device. The digital couponsmay be transmitted from the computing device at a point-of-sale during atransaction using any of a variety of mechanisms. Thus, there arenumerous ways in which coupons might be distributed to customers.

Currently, coupon distributors receive, from numerous coupon providers,requests to run coupon campaigns, which involve distributing couponsprovided by those providers. Attributes of a typical coupon campaigninclude the value of a coupon, an identity of the product, the brand ofthe product, the manufacturer of the product, a planned or targetredemption rate, a duration of the campaign, and a cost to run thecampaign (for example, price per print or a fixed total amount). Anotherattribute includes the process a user must go through in order to accessa coupon. For example, some coupon distributors require users to enterpersonal information, while other distributors might require users tocomplete a survey. Current techniques do not adequately take intoaccount the varying degree in quality of each coupon campaign whenaccepting proposed coupon campaigns or when displaying coupons ofaccepted coupon campaigns.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram that depicts an example system for computingan offer quality score (OQS).

FIG. 2 is a block diagram that depicts components of an OQS generationunit;

FIG. 3 illustrates a process for using an OQS to accept or decline aproposed coupon campaign;

FIG. 4 illustrates a computer system upon which embodiments may beimplemented.

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however,that the present invention may be practiced without these specificdetails. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shownin block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring thepresent invention.

Embodiments are described herein according to the following outline:

-   -   1.0 General Overview    -   2.0 Functional Overview    -   3.0 Generating An Offer Quality Score    -   4.0 Leveraging An Offer Quality Score        -   4.1 Accepting, Adjusting, and Declining        -   4.2 Directing Coupon Campaign Offers to Other Distributors        -   4.3 Print/Redemption Projector        -   4.4 Price Estimator        -   4.5 Presentation Component        -   4.6 Content Acquisition    -   5.0 Implementation Mechanism—Hardware Overview    -   6.0 Extensions and Alternatives

1.0 GENERAL OVERVIEW

-   -   Techniques are disclosed for generating an offer quality score        (“OQS”) for a coupon campaign and using an OQS in various ways.        Typically, a coupon distributor treats most, if not all, coupon        campaigns the same (and, by extension, the corresponding coupon        providers) in that the coupon distributor charges each coupon        provider the same rate (for example, $0.10 per printed coupon)        or the same amount for each proposed coupon campaign, regardless        of whether the coupon provider represents a small regional        brand, a large national brand, or something in between. To the        extent that a coupon distributor charges a coupon provider a        different rate or amount for running a coupon campaign relative        to other coupon campaigns, such a difference typically reflects        a subjective determination by the coupon distributor to charge        coupon providers representing large, well-established brands a        lower rate in order to attract future offers, from that coupon        provider, for running coupon campaigns. A coupon distributor        might charge less to popular brands that offer generous coupon        values because the costs incurred by the coupon distributor to        distribute such coupons to influence the printing of those        coupons by potential customers is typically less than the cost        to influence the printing of coupons of coupon campaigns        associated with, for example, less popular brands or relatively        low coupon values. The costs incurred for running a coupon        campaign might refer to an amount of resources that a coupon        distributor allocates to distributing a coupon of the coupon        campaign. Such resources might include a frequency with which        the coupon distributor displays a coupon and/or a position of        the coupon on the home page of a website maintained by the        coupon distributor or on the first page of a search results page        of coupons.

In an embodiment, an OQS represents the quality associated with a couponcampaign (or an offer to accept a coupon campaign) from a couponprovider. A coupon distributor takes into account one or more criteriato automatically generate an OQS for a coupon campaign. Example criteriainclude: the brand of the product, the product itself, and/or theproduct category to which the product belongs; the proposed couponvalue; the percentage discount; historical data regarding previouscoupon campaigns for the product, product category, and/or brand.

The coupon distributor then uses the OQS of a coupon campaign for one ormore purposes. Example purposes include: determining whether to acceptthe corresponding coupon campaign proposed by a coupon provider;determining what factors the coupon provider might change to increasethe OQS; predicting what the expected number of prints and/orredemptions of a coupon will be if the corresponding coupon campaign isaccepted by the coupon distributor; determining whether to direct theproposed coupon campaign to another coupon distributor; determining howand/or what to charge for the corresponding coupon campaign; determininghow to present, to potential customers, a coupon of the correspondingcoupon campaign.

2.0 FUNCTIONAL OVERVIEW

In embodiments that involve communication between a coupon distributorand a coupon provider, such communication may be between two computingdevices over a network (for example, the Internet), where one computingdevice is operated by the coupon provider and the other computing deviceis operated by the coupon distributor. Computing devices may comprisedesktop computers, laptop computers, tablet computers, mobile phones,and other handheld computing devices.

The coupon distributor may provide a web service that the couponprovider accesses with its computing device. The web service may involvesending, in response to a request from the provider's computing device,a web page that includes one or more fields into which a representativeof the coupon provider can input information regarding a proposed couponcampaign. Alternatively, the same information may be receivedprogrammatically by a call to the web service. Such information mightinclude the product's name, a product category to which the productbelongs, a value for a coupon, a hoped-for or target redemption rate, atarget number of prints, a brand name, and a duration for the proposedcoupon campaign. The coupon provider's computing device sends theentered information over a network (such as the Internet) to the coupondistributor's computing device, which generates a score based on theentered information.

Alternatively, communication between a coupon provider and a coupondistributor may occur between human representatives of the two parties,such as an in-person conversation or a conversation via telephone. Inthis case, the coupon distributor's representative enters in theappropriate information via an input device of a computer, whichgenerates a scored based on the entered information.

3.0 GENERATING AN OFFER QUALITY SCORE

According to an embodiment, a coupon distributor generates an offerquality score (OQS) that represents a quality of a coupon campaignoffered by a coupon provider, whether the coupon campaign has beenaccepted by the coupon distributor (“an accepted coupon campaign”) ornot (“a proposed coupon campaign”). An OQS is based on one or morefactors and may be a normalized value that is between, for example, 0and 10 or 0 and 1. Each of the one or more factors acts as input to anOQS generating function which, when executed, generates an OQS.

Examples of factors upon which an OQS may be based include: attributesof the coupon provider, brand, and/or product of the coupon campaign;the coupon value of the coupon campaign; the percentage discountreflected in the coupon value (for example, a $1 coupon for a $10product indicates a 10% discount whereas a $1 coupon for a $3 productreflects a 33% discount); and historical data regarding previous couponcampaigns for the product, product category, and/or brand. The set ofone or more factors that are used to generate an OQS are referred toherein as “OQS factors.”

Embodiments are not limited to how the values for the OQS factors (or“factor values”) are determined. For example, each factor may beassociated with a set of mappings that map a factor value with a factorscore. Thus, there may be a brand score mapping, a product categoryscore mapping, a coupon value score mapping, a percentage discount scoremapping, and a seasonality score mapping. In other words, differentbrands may be associated with different brand scores, different productcategories may be associated with different category scores, and soforth. For example, General Mills may have a brand score of 10 whileGreat Value may have a brand score of 8.4. As another example, babydiapers may have a brand score of 9.2 while toothpaste has a brand scoreof 6.1.

Seasonality refers to the phenomenon that potential customers havedifferent price sensitivities at different times of the year. Forexample, a $1 coupon for a set of toothbrushes may be more attractive topotential customers during August (right before many schools start) andduring December (right before Christmas) than during other times of theyear. This change in price sensitivity over time may be common to manyproducts and certain product categories. Other products may beassociated with price sensitivities that change at different times ofthe year. For example, certain products that are typically used for aparticular national holiday may be sold in large quantities right beforethat date. Thus, coupons for such products do not need to have as highcoupon values at that time of the year because more people will bebuying those products. Therefore, relatively high coupon values are notnecessary at that time of year.

Given the time of year (or season) in which a coupon campaign isproposed to be run, a coupon distributor might determine, based onseasonality data, whether potential customers are likely to beinterested in the product that is the subject of the coupon campaign.The seasonality data may be organized based on specific product and/orproduct category. Thus, for example, the coupon distributor mightdetermine a product category to which the product (that is subject ofthe campaign) belongs, identify the time of year in which the couponcampaign is to be run, identify the product category in the seasonalitydata, and identify, within the seasonality data, one or more metricsthat are associated with the product category and that measure thedemand for that product at the identified time of year. The possiblemetrics that measure seasonality may be reflected in a seasonality scoremapping.

A brand score mapping may be based on third party data, such as brandpenetration data from Nielsen, an advertising and research company.Brand penetration data indicates a percentage of households that aparticular brand has “penetrated.” Brand “penetration” of a particularbrand may indicate a number of households that have (a) purchased aproduct of the particular brand or (b) been exposed (for example, in theform of TV ads) to the particular brand. Such brand penetration data maybe used to generate a brand score mapping. For example, 70% penetrationand above may be mapped to a brand score of 10, 60%-70% penetration maybe mapped to a brand score of 9, 45%-60% penetration may be mapped to abrand score of 8, 35%-45% penetration may be mapped to a brand score of7, and so forth.

In an embodiment, one or more OQS values are based on a first set offactors and one or more other OQS values are based on a second set offactors that are different than the first set of factors. For example, afirst OQS value generated for a first coupon campaign is based solely onthe coupon value and a score that represents the popularity of thecorresponding brand while a second OQS value generated for a secondcoupon campaign is based on previous coupon campaigns that involved thesecond campaign's product or products in the same product category asthe second campaign's product.

The following is an example equation that may be used to generate an OQSvalue:

${OQS} = {\sum\limits_{i = 0}^{10}{{P\left( {\left. i \middle| {D\; 1} \right.,{D\; 2},{D\; 3},{D\; 4}} \right)} \times i}}$

where D1 represents brand penetration, D2 represents an average numberof prints for a “similar” campaign (for example, for the same product,same product category, or same brand), D3 represents an average revenueper print for a similar campaign, and D4 represents a seasonality score.P(i|D1, D2, D3, D4) is the probability that D1 maps to an OQS value ofi, where i is any value between 0 and 10. The probabilities may becomputed using a Bayesian approach and a (for example, human-edited)table in order to learn the distributions.

For example, a particular coupon provider desires a coupon distributorto run a coupon campaign for a particular product marketed by theparticular coupon provider. The particular product is associated with acertain brand that has a certain degree of brand penetration (e.g.,“p”). An outside data source, such as Nielsen, may be used to determine‘p’. Brands in similar categories follow the data shown in the tablebelow.

Brand Penetration P(OQS = 0.01) P(OQS = 0.02) . . . P(OQS = 0.99) 1% x1x2 . . . x99 2% y1 y2 . . . y99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99%  z1 z2. . . z99Using a table similar to the above, for any given value of ‘p’, the OQSfor this value may be computed as the weighted sum of all theprobabilities. For example, if ‘p’=2%, then the OQS for brandpenetration is (0.01*y1+0.02*y2+0.03*y3+ . . . 0.99*yN)/N. Thiscomputation results in an OQS for the factor D1.

A similar process is repeated for any factor Di which has a value=‘x’.The goal is to arrive at a probability distribution that the OQS is 0.01given x, that the OQS is 0.02 given x, and so on, and then calculating aweighted average of the resulting sum. The process for combining all thevalues from the various Di's together to the final OQS may also done ina similar fashion. For example, if there are two Di's, D1 & D2, then theabove table would be the joint distribution of D1 and D2 representingall possible combinations that values D1 & D2 could take.

For purposes of illustrating a clear example, a method of generating anOQS value has been provided above in the form of an equation andsymbols. In an embodiment, each of the symbols may comprise a data valuestored in a computer and each of the relationships expressed in theequation may be implemented using stored program logic, in aspecial-purpose computer or loaded from one or more non-transitory mediainto the memory of a general-purpose computer and then executed. Each ofthe values may be stored in a particular location in electronic digitalmemory of the computer. Each of the relationships expressed in theequation involves changing the state of one or more of the locations ofmemory and transforming the state into a new state associated with a newvalue. Thus, the equation disclosed herein is not intended to representan abstract idea but in at least one embodiment indicates a particularmethod of transforming electronic digital memory of a computer from onestate to a different state that provides a useful result.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram that depicts an example system 100 forcomputing an OQS. System 100 includes provider computing device 110,network 120, and distributor server 130. In an embodiment, distributorserver 130 is a special purpose computer that includes three components:a campaign data receiving unit 140, an OQS generation unit 150, and aproposed campaign acceptance unit 160. Units 140-160 may be implementedsoftware, hardware, or a combination of hardware and software. Althoughdistributor server 130 is depicted as a single device, the functionalityof distributor server 130 may instead be implemented among multipledevices. For example, the resources of multiple computing devices may beused to receive campaign data, generate an OQS, and determine whether toaccept a proposed campaign based on the OQS.

Campaign data receiving unit 140 receives campaign data that originatesfrom provider computing device 110, identifies one or more values of oneor more attributes of the proposed campaign reflected in the campaigndata, and sends the one or more values to OQS generation unit 150.Alternatively, campaign data receiving unit 140 sends the campaign datato OQS generation unit 150, which performs the identification step.

Examples of attribute values identified in the campaign data mightinclude the coupon provider, the brand (e.g., Kelloggs), the product(e.g., Frosted Flakes), the product category (e.g., breakfast cereal),the coupon value (e.g., $1), and the percentage discount (e.g., 20%).Some of the attribute values may be reflected in the campaign data, butmay instead be determined by distributor server 130. For example,campaign data receiving unit 140 (or another unit of distributor server130) might access a database that maps products to product categories sothat the coupon provider is not required to identify the productcategory in the campaign data transmitted from provider computing device110. As another example, campaign data receiving unit 140 (or anotherunit of distributor server 130) might calculate the percentage discountdetermining a current sale price of the product and dividing the couponvalue by the current sale price. In this way, the coupon provider is notrequired to calculate the percentage discount.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram that depicts units of OQS generation unit 150.In an embodiment, OQS generation unit 150 includes special-purposehardware logic that operate together for generating an OQS for aparticular coupon campaign. OQS generation unit 150 includes attributevalue transfer unit 210, which sends each identified attribute value tothe appropriate score unit, examples of which include coupon providerscore unit 220, brand score unit 230, product score unit 240, couponvalue score unit 250, percentage discount score unit 260, and couponprovider score unit 270. For example, attribute value transfer unit 210sends, to coupon provider score unit 220, data that identifies aparticular coupon provider. Coupon provider score unit 220 generates ascore based on that data. As another example, attribute value transferunit 210 sends, to brand score unit 230, data that identifies aparticular brand. Brand score unit 230 generates a score based on thedata.

Once each score unit 220-270, after generating a respective score, sendsits generated score to total score unit 280 that generates an OQS basedon each individual score received from units 220-270. Total score unit280 then sends the OQS to proposed campaign acceptance unit 160,depicted in FIG. 1. Proposed campaign acceptance unit 160 determines,based on the OQS received from OQS generation unit 150, whether toaccept the proposed campaign reflected in the campaign data receivedfrom provider computing device 110. The determination may be made bycomparing the OQS to a particular (or “OQS”) threshold. The OQSthreshold may defined by a user of distributor server 130 or may bedefined automatically (e.g., without user input) by distributor server130 or other computing devices operated by the coupon distributor. Also,the OQS threshold may change over time. For example, if the couponprovider receives higher quality coupons over time, then the OQSthreshold may be increased since the coupon provider might not be ableaccept all proposed campaigns without jeopardizing currently-runningcoupon campaigns. Either way, distributor server 130 (for example,proposed campaign acceptance unit 160 or another component ofdistributor server 130) sends, over network 120, to provider computingdevice 110, a response message indicating whether the proposed campaignis accepted by the coupon distributor.

4.0 USING AN OFFER QUALITY SCORE

Once an OQS is generated for a coupon campaign, the OQS can be used innumerous ways, as described in the following examples. When a coupondistributor uses an OQS, the coupon campaign may or may not have beenaccepted. Further, the OQS may have been generated in any number ofways, whether described herein or not. Embodiments are not limited toany of the following example uses. For example, one embodiment may usean OQS in one of the described ways while another embodiment may use anOQS in two or more of the other described ways.

4.1 Accepting, Adjusting, and Declining

In an embodiment, a coupon distributor uses an OQS as at least onefactor in determining whether to accept a proposed coupon campaign. FIG.3 is a flow diagram that depicts a process for using an offer qualityscore (OQS) to accept or decline a proposed coupon campaign, accordingto an embodiment. In an embodiment, blocks shown in FIG. 3 may beperformed by one or more computing devices operating on behalf of acoupon distributor. For example, each block of FIG. 3 may represent oneor more sequences of computer program instructions that are stored onone or more non-transitory machine-readable media, loaded into memoryand executed to cause performance of the blocks of FIG. 3.

In the example process 300 of FIG. 3, at block 310, the coupondistributor receives campaign data regarding a proposed coupon campaign.In an embodiment, a coupon distributor computer receives an electronicmessage that contains data fields carrying values that represent aparticular coupon campaign.

At block 320, the coupon distributor generates an OQS based on thecampaign data. In an embodiment, the OQS value is generated using eithera special-purpose computer associated with the coupon distributor andconfigured to generate an OQS using special-purpose hardware logic thatimplements the equation described herein, or a general-purpose computerassociated with the coupon distributor and configured to load programinstructions from one or more non-transitory machine-readable mediawhich, when executed, cause the computer to implement the equationdescribed herein.

At block 330, the coupon distributor determines whether it will acceptthe proposed coupon campaign based on the OQS. For example, if an OQS ofa proposed coupon campaign is above a particular threshold value (forexample, 7 on a 10-point scale), then the coupon provider will acceptthe proposed coupon campaign. Otherwise, the coupon provider will notaccept the proposed coupon campaign.

If the coupon distributor accepts the proposed coupon campaign, then, atblock 340, the coupon distributor sends, to the coupon provider, datathat indicates that the proposed coupon campaign is accepted. The coupondistributor begins the proposed coupon campaign according to one or moredetails of the proposal. The coupon distributor may accept a proposedcoupon campaign even though the coupon distributor anticipates that itmay make very little or no profit on the proposed coupon campaign. Thecoupon distributor may do this in order to establish a relationship witha particular coupon provider that turns into future business with thatprovider.

If, at block 330, the coupon distributor determines that it will notaccept the proposed coupon campaign (for example, based on a relativelylow OQS for the proposed coupon campaign), then, at block 350, thecoupon distributor informs the coupon provider as much.

Optionally, at block 360, the coupon distributor adjusts one or moreterms of the proposed coupon campaign and suggests, to the couponprovider, the adjusted term(s). Non-limiting examples of such termsinclude coupon value, percentage discount represented by the couponvalue, target redemption rate, charge per print, and length or durationof the proposed coupon campaign For example, if a proposed couponcampaign indicates a target redemption rate of 1000, then the coupondistributor might suggest, to the coupon provider, a target redemptionrate of 800. As another example, if a proposed coupon campaign indicatesa coupon value of $1.50, then the coupon distributor might suggest, tothe coupon provider, a coupon value of $1.95. As another example, if acoupon provider desires to pay $0.10 per print for a proposed couponcampaign, then the coupon distributor might suggest, to the couponprovider, $0.13 per print.

In order to generate the adjusted term(s), the coupon distributor might“guess” or estimate a new value for a particular attribute of theproposed coupon campaign, submit that new value (along with othervalues) into an OQS generating function, and execute the function togenerate a new OQS. If the new OQS is higher than, for example, aparticular threshold value, then, at block 370, the coupon distributorprovides (as part of block 360), to the coupon provider, the adjustedterm(s) and, optionally, other non-changing terms.

At block 370, the coupon distributor receives data that indicateswhether the coupon provider accepts the terms of the updated proposedcoupon campaign.

At block 380, the coupon distributor determines whether the couponprovider accepts the updated proposal. If so, then process 300 proceedsto block 340 where the coupon distributor sends, to the coupon provider,an acknowledgement that the coupon distributor will execute the proposedcoupon campaign according to the agreed upon terms.

If, at block 380, the coupon distributor determines that the coupondistributor does not accept the updated proposal, then process 300 mightproceed to block 360 where the coupon distributor adjusts the one ormore terms further (and/or one or more other terms) and generatesanother new OQS, and then provides the newly adjusted terms to thecoupon provider. This process in blocks 360-380 (i.e., the coupondistributor adjusting and providing terms to the coupon provider and thecoupon provider rejecting) may repeat one or more times until (a) thecoupon provider accepts the latest adjusted terms or ceases to provideany feedback (for example, “walks away” from the negotiation, which maybe entirely online), or (b) the coupon distributor ceases to provide, tothe coupon provider, any further adjusted terms.

Submitting terms of a proposed coupon campaign to a coupon distributormay be carried out in multiple ways. In an embodiment, the coupondistributor maintains a web service that coupon providers may accessover the Internet, that receives one or more terms of a proposed couponcampaign, and that responds with an affirmative or negative indicationthat the proposed coupon campaign is accepted. For example, arepresentative of the coupon provider directs a web browser (executingon a device operated by the representative) to a particular URL of thecoupon distributor to display a corresponding web page. Therepresentative enters details of the proposed coupon campaign into theweb page. The representative provides input that triggers the sending ofthe details (for example, using HTTP) from the representative's deviceover a network to a server device operated by the coupon distributor.Thus, block 310 may involve the server device receiving the details asinput. Also, block 320 may involve the server device (or one or moreother devices) computing an OQS based on the input.

In a related example, instead of a web page, the representative selectsa software application that executes on the representative's device andthat is dedicated to performing the functions of accepting input thatreflects the terms of the proposed coupon campaign and indicatingwhether the coupon distributor will accept the proposed coupon campaignbased on the OQS. The software application may generate the OQS and makethe determination of whether to accept the coupon campaign or maycommunicate the terms of the proposed coupon campaign to a remote serverthat generates the OQS and makes the determination. Alternatively,embodiments may use special-purpose computers configured with logic thatperforms functionally equivalent tasks and services.

In an alternative embodiment, a human representative of a couponprovider verbally provides (for example, over the phone or in person)details of a proposed coupon campaign to a human representative of acoupon distributor who enters the data into a device. That device and/orone or more other devices use the entered data to generate an OQS anddetermine, based on the OQS, whether to accept a coupon campaign.

4.2 Directing Coupon Campaign Offers to Other Distributors

In an embodiment, a coupon distributor uses an OQS to determine whetherto direct a coupon campaign (whether accepted or not) to another coupondistributor. A particular coupon distributor may be affiliated with (orhave a business relationship with) one or more other coupon distributors(hereinafter “affiliates”). The particular coupon distributor and theset of affiliates with which the particular coupon distributor isaffiliated are referred to herein as a “coupon distribution network.” Anaffiliate may operate a website on a specific topic, such as women'shealth issues. The affiliate adds code to its website that, whenexecuted, causes the particular coupon distributor to send coupons forproducts that are pertinent to women's health issues. In this way, theaffiliate acts as a distribution point for coupons sent from theparticular coupon distributor.

Each affiliate in a coupon distribution network has its own revenuesharing agreement (RSA) with the particular coupon distributor. An RSAdictates how much the particular coupon distributor will pay theaffiliate for distributing coupons. A RSA may be based on one of manypayment models. For example, one payment model is a pay fixed per printpayment model where the coupon distributor pays a fixed amount (forexample, $0.05) for each print of a coupon (i.e., presented by theaffiliate) by an end-user. Another payment model is a pay percentage perprint payment model where the coupon distributor pays a percentage (forexample, 40%) of what the coupon distributor charges to the couponprovider for each print of a corresponding coupon. An RSA may be basedon a non-print payment models. Not only may some affiliates have moregenerous RSAs with the particular coupon distributor than otheraffiliates, some affiliates may have RSAs with the particular coupondistributor that are based on payment models that are different than thepayment models upon which RSAs of other affiliates are based.

The particular coupon distributor might determine whether to direct aproposed coupon campaign to an affiliate based on one or more criteria.For example, the particular coupon distributor might accept, for itself,a proposed coupon campaign whose OQS is above a first threshold (forexample, above 8 on a 10-point scale) while the particular coupondistributor might accept and send, to an affiliate, a proposed couponcampaign whose OQS is above a second threshold (for example, above 6 ona 10-point scale) but below the first threshold. In this way, theparticular coupon distributor leverages OQS values by accepting foritself the coupon campaigns associated with the highest OQS values anddirecting coupon campaigns of slightly lower quality (as reflected bytheir OQS values) to affiliates.

Additionally or alternatively, the particular coupon distributor uses anOQS as at least one criterion in determining the terms of an RSA with anaffiliate. For example, the higher the OQS, the less revenue theparticular coupon distributor will pay the affiliate under an RSA.Conversely, the lower the OQS, the more revenue the particular coupondistributor will pay the affiliate under an RSA. For example, if atypical RSA is that an affiliate receives $0.05 per print of eachcoupon, then an RSA may dictate that the affiliate will receive $0.08per print of a coupon if an OQS associated with that coupon isrelatively low. As another example, an RSA might dictate that theaffiliate will receive $0.02 per print of a coupon if an OQS associatedwith that coupon is relatively high. Thus, a coupon distributor may usean OQS as a factor to dictate the terms of an RSA with an affiliate.

4.3 Print/Redemption Projector

In an embodiment, a coupon distributor uses an OQS as at least onecriterion to project or predict how often a coupon of a particularcoupon campaign will be printed and/or redeemed. A coupon distributormay maintain historical data that associates OQS values of previouscoupon campaigns with the actual number of times the correspondingcoupons were printed and/or redeemed by potential customers. Forexample, a coupon distributor might maintain a history table as follows:

PRINT/REDEMPTION HISTORY TABLE COUPON CAMPAIGN OQS PRINTS REDEMPTIONRATE A 9.3 112 54 B 6.5 63 27 C 7.2 70 21 D 8.1 98 33 E 7.6 65 20

Based on this Print/Redemption History Table, the coupon distributor maygenerate a projector function that represents the relationship betweenan OQS and the number of prints and/or redemption rate. Then, when thecoupon distributor analyzes a proposed coupon campaign and generates anOQS for the campaign, then coupon distributor executes the projectorfunction with the OQS as input in order to generate an estimate of thenumber of prints and/or redemptions that might occur if the coupondistributor runs the proposed campaign. Such an estimate may be used toadjust one or more terms of a proposed coupon campaign. For example, thecoupon distributor might determine that the coupon provider shoulddecrease the provider's expected or target number of prints to a morerealistic value.

Additionally or alternatively, the coupon distributor might use theprint/redemption projector to determine how much to advertise the coupononce the proposed coupon campaign is accepted. For example, the coupondistributor might determine, based on a relatively low projected numberof prints given a particular OQS, that the coupon distributor shouldplace the coupon more prominently (and/or more frequently) on thedistributor's web pages.

The print/redemption estimate may also be used by the coupon distributorto determine a price for a coupon of the coupon campaign. For example,the coupon distributor might propose, to the coupon provider, based on arelatively low print estimate, a larger coupon value than what thecoupon provider suggested.

4.4 Price Estimator

In an embodiment, a coupon distributor uses an OQS as at least onecriterion in determining an amount to charge a coupon provider for thecoupon distributor running a proposed coupon campaign. Generally, thehigher an OQS, the lower the price the coupon distributor will determinefor the proposed coupon campaign. For example, if the coupon distributortypically charges $0.10 per print for most or all coupon campaigns andthe coupon distributor generates an OQS of 9.5 (on a 10-point scale) fora proposed coupon campaign, then the coupon distributor might choose tocharge the coupon provider $0.07 per print due to the relatively highOQS.

Conversely, the lower an OQS, the higher the price the coupondistributor might determine for the proposed coupon campaign. Forexample, if the coupon distributor generates an OQS of 5.5 (on a10-point scale) for a proposed coupon campaign, then the coupondistributor might choose to charge the coupon provider $0.15 per printdue to the relatively low OQS. The higher price per print reflects thatthe coupon distributor will have to contribute more resources to runningthat proposed coupon campaign (for example, in terms of the number ofimpressions of the coupon) relative to the amount of resources need torun a higher quality campaign.

4.5 Presentation Component

In an embodiment, a coupon distributor uses an OQS (associated with aparticular coupon campaign) as at least one criterion in determining howto present, to potential customers, a coupon of that particular couponcampaign. Coupons associated with relatively high OQS values will notneed to be presented as often or as predominantly as coupons associatedwith relatively low OQS values. This is because higher quality couponsare going to attract more potential customers than lower qualitycoupons. Therefore, more resources of the coupon distributor might needto be allocated to influence the printing, by potential customers, oflower quality coupons. Printing correlates with redeeming in that themore prints by potential customers, the greater the number ofredemptions. Thus, regardless of whether terms of coupon campaignrequire that payment to a coupon distributor is based on the number ofprints or the number of redemptions, the coupon distributor desirespotential customers to print numerous coupons of the correspondingcoupon.

For example, the coupon distributor might place a coupon that isassociated with a relatively low OQS on more web pages (that areprovided by the coupon distributor and requested by potential customers)than a coupon that is associated with a relatively high OQS. As anotherexample, the coupon distributor might place a coupon that is associatedwith a relatively low OQS more predominantly on such web pages than acoupon that is associated with relatively high OQS. Apredominantly-displayed coupon may be one that is displayed on a homepage of the coupon distributor. Additionally or alternatively, apredominantly-displayed coupon may be one that is displayed on the firstpage of a certain class of coupons. Non-limiting examples of the firstpage of a class of coupons include a page that is generated (along withother pages) in response to (a) a search query or (b) user selection ofa link. Non-limiting examples of classes of coupons includegrocery-related coupons, restaurant-related coupons, or highest valuecoupons. Thus, for example, a user might select a tab or a link thatcorresponds to all available coupons for baby products. In response tothe selection, a majority of all available baby product coupons mightonly be displayed if the user paginates (i.e., selects subsequent pages)through the series of coupon pages that include coupons for babyproducts.

Additionally or alternatively, the coupon distributor might use aplurality of OQS, each corresponding to a different coupon, to select aset of coupons to display on each web page. The set of coupons areselected to ensure that there is a mix of higher quality coupons andlower quality coupons. If only coupons with relatively high OQS valuesare displayed on the first page of a multiple page result, thenpotential customers will tend to only look at the first page or thefirst few pages and will not paginate (i.e., request subsequent pages toview). However, if there are one or more high quality coupons on eachpage, then potential customers are more likely to paginate (i.e., viewmore pages), and thus be exposed to more coupons that are associatedwith relatively lower OQS values.

4.6 Content Acquisition

In an embodiment, a coupon distributor uses OQS scores as at least onecriterion in determining where the coupon distributor should focus onacquiring additional coupons. For example, if the coupon distributordetermines that coupons for baby food products are associated withrelatively higher OQS values and that the coupon distributor iscurrently running few, if any, coupon campaigns in the baby food productcategory, then the coupon distributor might determine to contactmanufacturers (coupon providers) that produce baby food products andsolicit coupon campaigns from those manufacturers. Presenting higherquality coupons to potential customers causes those customers to returnmore often to the coupon distributor, which typically translates intomore revenue for the coupon distributor. Also, because the coupondistributor knows that such coupons are generally of high quality, thecoupon distributor is able to offer competitive pricing for distributingthose coupons.

5.0 IMPLEMENTATION MECHANISM Hardware Overview

According to one embodiment, the techniques described herein areimplemented by one or more special-purpose computing devices. Thespecial-purpose computing devices may be hard-wired to perform thetechniques, or may include digital electronic devices such as one ormore application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or fieldprogrammable gate arrays (FPGAs) that are persistently programmed toperform the techniques, or may include one or more general purposehardware processors programmed to perform the techniques pursuant toprogram instructions in firmware, memory, other storage, or acombination. Such special-purpose computing devices may also combinecustom hard-wired logic, ASICs, or FPGAs with custom programming toaccomplish the techniques. The special-purpose computing devices may bedesktop computer systems, portable computer systems, handheld devices,networking devices or any other device that incorporates hard-wiredand/or program logic to implement the techniques.

For example, FIG. 4 is a block diagram that illustrates a computersystem 400. Computer system 400 includes a bus 402 or othercommunication mechanism for communicating information, and a hardwareprocessor 404 coupled with bus 402 for processing information. Hardwareprocessor 404 may be, for example, a general purpose microprocessor.

Computer system 400 also includes a main memory 406, such as a randomaccess memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device, coupled to bus 402for storing information and instructions to be executed by processor404. Main memory 406 also may be used for storing temporary variables orother intermediate information during execution of instructions to beexecuted by processor 404. Such instructions, when stored innon-transitory storage media accessible to processor 404, rendercomputer system 400 into a special-purpose machine that is customized toperform the operations specified in the instructions.

Computer system 400 further includes a read only memory (ROM) 408 orother static storage device coupled to bus 402 for storing staticinformation and instructions for processor 404. A storage device 410,such as a magnetic disk or optical disk, is provided and coupled to bus402 for storing information and instructions.

Computer system 400 may be coupled via bus 402 to a display 412, such asa cathode ray tube (CRT), for displaying information to a computer user.An input device 414, including alphanumeric and other keys, is coupledto bus 402 for communicating information and command selections toprocessor 404. Another type of user input device is cursor control 416,such as a mouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys for communicatingdirection information and command selections to processor 404 and forcontrolling cursor movement on display 412. This input device typicallyhas two degrees of freedom in two axes, a first axis (for example, x)and a second axis (for example, y), that allows the device to specifypositions in a plane.

Computer system 400 may implement the techniques described herein usingcustomized hard-wired logic, one or more ASICs or FPGAs, firmware and/orprogram logic which in combination with the computer system causes orprograms computer system 400 to be a special-purpose machine. Accordingto one embodiment, the techniques herein are performed by computersystem 400 in response to processor 404 executing one or more sequencesof one or more instructions contained in main memory 406. Suchinstructions may be read into main memory 406 from another storagemedium, such as storage device 410. Execution of the sequences ofinstructions contained in main memory 406 causes processor 404 toperform the process steps described herein. In alternative embodiments,hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination withsoftware instructions.

The term “storage media” as used herein refers to any non-transitorymedia that store data and/or instructions that cause a machine tooperation in a specific fashion. Such storage media may comprisenon-volatile media and/or volatile media. Non-volatile media includes,for example, optical or magnetic disks, such as storage device 410.Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as main memory 406. Commonforms of storage media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexibledisk, hard disk, solid state drive, magnetic tape, or any other magneticdata storage medium, a CD-ROM, any other optical data storage medium,any physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, aFLASH-EPROM, NVRAM, any other memory chip or cartridge.

Storage media is distinct from but may be used in conjunction withtransmission media. Transmission media participates in transferringinformation between storage media. For example, transmission mediaincludes coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, including thewires that comprise bus 402. Transmission media can also take the formof acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during radio-waveand infra-red data communications.

Various forms of media may be involved in carrying one or more sequencesof one or more instructions to processor 404 for execution. For example,the instructions may initially be carried on a magnetic disk or solidstate drive of a remote computer. The remote computer can load theinstructions into its dynamic memory and send the instructions over atelephone line using a modem. A modem local to computer system 400 canreceive the data on the telephone line and use an infra-red transmitterto convert the data to an infra-red signal. An infra-red detector canreceive the data carried in the infra-red signal and appropriatecircuitry can place the data on bus 402. Bus 402 carries the data tomain memory 406, from which processor 404 retrieves and executes theinstructions. The instructions received by main memory 406 mayoptionally be stored on storage device 410 either before or afterexecution by processor 404.

Computer system 400 also includes a communication interface 418 coupledto bus 402. Communication interface 418 provides a two-way datacommunication coupling to a network link 420 that is connected to alocal network 422. For example, communication interface 418 may be anintegrated services digital network (ISDN) card, cable modem, satellitemodem, or a modem to provide a data communication connection to acorresponding type of telephone line. As another example, communicationinterface 418 may be a local area network (LAN) card to provide a datacommunication connection to a compatible LAN. Wireless links may also beimplemented. In any such implementation, communication interface 418sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals thatcarry digital data streams representing various types of information.

Network link 420 typically provides data communication through one ormore networks to other data devices. For example, network link 420 mayprovide a connection through local network 422 to a host computer 424 orto data equipment operated by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) 426.ISP 426 in turn provides data communication services through the worldwide packet data communication network now commonly referred to as the“Internet” 428. Local network 422 and Internet 428 both use electrical,electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams. Thesignals through the various networks and the signals on network link 420and through communication interface 418, which carry the digital data toand from computer system 400, are example forms of transmission media.

Computer system 400 can send messages and receive data, includingprogram code, through the network(s), network link 420 and communicationinterface 418. In the Internet example, a server 430 might transmit arequested code for an application program through Internet 428, ISP 426,local network 422 and communication interface 418. The received code maybe executed by processor 404 as it is received, and/or stored in storagedevice 410, or other non-volatile storage for later execution.

6.0 EXTENSIONS AND ALTERNATIVES

In the foregoing specification, embodiments have been described withreference to numerous specific details that may vary from implementationto implementation. Thus, the sole and exclusive indicator of what is theinvention, and is intended by the applicants to be the invention, is theset of claims that issue from this application, in the specific form inwhich such claims issue, including any subsequent correction. Anydefinitions expressly set forth herein for terms contained in suchclaims shall govern the meaning of such terms as used in the claims.Hence, no limitation, element, property, feature, advantage or attributethat is not expressly recited in a claim should limit the scope of suchclaim in any way. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to beregarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: obtaining, by a computer, a plurality of attributes associated with a coupon campaign that has been offered to a coupon distributor by a coupon provider that is different than the coupon distributor and that provides a product or service to which a coupon of the coupon campaign pertains; determining a plurality of values that correspond to the plurality of attributes; and generating, by the coupon distributor, using the computer and based on the plurality of values, a score that represents a quality of the coupon campaign; based on the score, determining at least one of: an amount for the coupon distributor to charge the coupon provider for running the coupon campaign, an estimate of the number of prints or redemptions that might occur if the coupon distributor runs the coupon campaign, how often to or how to present, to potential customers, the coupon of the coupon campaign, or whether to distribute the coupon campaign to a second coupon distributor that is different than the coupon distributor.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of attributes of the coupon campaign include one or more of a coupon value, a percentage discount represented by the coupon value, a brand of a product of the coupon campaign, or a product category to which the product belongs.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more prior coupon campaigns are: (a) for the same product as the product of the coupon campaign, or (b) for one or more products that are different than the product for the coupon campaign and (1) belong to a particular product category to which the product for the coupon campaign also belongs, or (2) that are of the same brand as a brand of the product for the coupon campaign.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining, determining, and generating are performed prior to the coupon distributor accepting the coupon campaign.
 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining, by the coupon distributor, based on the score, whether to accept the coupon campaign.
 6. The method of claim 4, further comprising, prior to accepting the coupon campaign: determining, based on the score, to modify one or more terms of the coupon campaign; generating one or more modified values based on one or more values, of the plurality of values, that correspond to the one or more terms; sending, to the coupon provider, the one or more modified values.
 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising, receiving, from the coupon provider, response data that indicates whether the coupon provider accepts the coupon distributor running the coupon campaign based on the one or more modified values.
 8. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining, based on the score, an amount for the coupon distributor to charge the coupon provider for running the coupon campaign.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the amount to charge is a price per print, by a potential customer, of a coupon of the coupon campaign.
 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, based on the score, an estimate of a number of prints or redemptions that might occur if the coupon distributor runs the coupon campaign.
 11. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, based on the score, how often to or how to present, to potential customers, a coupon of the coupon campaign.
 12. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, based on a plurality of scores, each of which is associated with a different coupon campaign of a plurality of coupon campaigns, which coupons to display on a web page.
 13. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining, based on a plurality of scores, each of which is associated with a different coupon campaign of a plurality of coupon campaigns, one or more product categories; identifying one or more coupon providers that provide coupons for one or more products that belong to the one or more product categories.
 14. One or more storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause: obtaining a plurality of attributes associated with a coupon campaign that has been offered to a coupon distributor by a coupon provider that is different than the coupon distributor and that provides a product or service to which a coupon of the coupon campaign pertains; determining a plurality of values that correspond to the plurality of attributes; and generating, by the coupon distributor, based on the plurality of values, a score that represents a quality of the coupon campaign; based on the score, determining at least one of: an amount for the coupon distributor to charge the coupon provider for running the coupon campaign, an estimate of the number of prints or redemptions that might occur if the coupon distributor runs the coupon campaign, how often to or how to present, to potential customers, the coupon of the coupon campaign, or whether to distribute the coupon campaign to a second coupon distributor that is different than the coupon distributor.
 15. The one or more storage media of claim 14, wherein the plurality of attributes of the coupon campaign include one or more of a coupon value, a percentage discount represented by the coupon value, a brand of a product of the coupon campaign, or a product category to which the product belongs.
 16. The one or more storage media of claim 14, wherein the one or more prior coupon campaigns are: (a) for the same product as the product of the coupon campaign, or (b) for one or more products that are different than the product for the coupon campaign and (1) belong to a particular product category to which the product for the coupon campaign also belongs, or (2) that are of the same brand as a brand of the product for the coupon campaign.
 17. The one or more storage media of claim 14, wherein the obtaining, determining, and generating are performed prior to the coupon distributor accepting the coupon campaign.
 18. The one or more storage media of claim 17, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, further cause determining, by the coupon distributor, based on the score, whether to accept the coupon campaign.
 19. The one or more storage media of claim 17, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, further cause, prior to accepting the coupon campaign: determining, based on the score, to modify one or more terms of the coupon campaign; generating one or more modified values based on one or more values, of the plurality of values, that correspond to the one or more terms; sending, to the coupon provider, the one or more modified values.
 20. The one or more storage media of claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, further cause, receiving, from the coupon provider, response data that indicates whether the coupon provider accepts the coupon distributor running the coupon campaign based on the one or more modified values.
 21. The one or more storage media of claim 17, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, further cause determining, based on the score, an amount for the coupon distributor to charge the coupon provider for running the coupon campaign.
 22. The one or more storage media of claim 21, wherein the amount to charge is a price per print, by a potential customer, of a coupon of the coupon campaign.
 23. The one or more storage media of claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, further cause determining, based on the score, an estimate of a number of prints or redemptions that might occur if the coupon distributor runs the coupon campaign.
 24. The one or more storage media of claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, further cause determining, based on the score, how often to or how to present, to potential customers, a coupon of the coupon campaign.
 25. The one or more storage media of claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, further cause determining, based on a plurality of scores, each of which is associated with a different coupon campaign of a plurality of coupon campaigns, which coupons to display on a web page.
 26. The one or more storage media of claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, further cause: determining, based on a plurality of scores, each of which is associated with a different coupon campaign of a plurality of coupon campaigns, one or more product categories; identifying one or more coupon providers that provide coupons for one or more products that belong to the one or more product categories.
 27. A system comprising: a campaign data receiving unit that is configured to obtain a plurality of attributes associated with a coupon campaign that has been offered to a coupon distributor by a coupon provider that is different than the coupon distributor and that provides a product or service to which a coupon of the coupon campaign pertains; wherein the campaign data receiving unit is further configured to determine a plurality of values that correspond to the plurality of attributes; and an offer quality score (OQS) generation unit that is configured to generate, based on the plurality of values, a score that represents a quality of the coupon campaign; logic that is configured to determine, based on the score, at least one of: an amount for the coupon distributor to charge the coupon provider for running the coupon campaign, an estimate of the number of prints or redemptions that might occur if the coupon distributor runs the coupon campaign, how often to or how to present, to potential customers, the coupon of the coupon campaign, or whether to distribute the coupon campaign to a second coupon distributor that is different than the coupon distributor.
 28. The system of claim 27, wherein the logic is configured to determine, based on the score, the amount for the coupon distributor to charge the coupon provider for running the coupon campaign.
 29. The system of claim 27, wherein the logic is configured to determine, based on the score, the estimate of the number of prints or redemptions that might occur if the coupon distributor runs the coupon campaign.
 30. The system of claim 27, wherein the logic is configured to determine, based on the score, how often to or how to present, to potential customers, the coupon of the coupon campaign.
 31. The system of claim 27, wherein the logic is configured to determine, based on the score, whether to distribute the coupon campaign to the second coupon distributor that is different than the coupon distributor. 